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Utah Agriculture in the Classroom

About Us

Agriculture is

Agriculture Is

We Have Impact

Every year, AITC reaches more than:
126,000
Students
600
Preservice Teachers
715
Inservice Teachers
  • AITC's Bee Line newsletter is distributed to 2,000 elementary teachers. AITC's AgroWorld goes to 700 secondary teachers
  • AITC's e-store ships hundreds of orders nationwide.

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom is

AUTHENTIC
  • AITC staff is highly trained in the field of education, providing real-world, contextualized materials that are science-based and field-tested.
EXPERIENTIAL
  • AITC materials revolve around engaging, interactive learning activities. Kits and resources are available for purchase through the AITC e-store.
ACCESSIBLE
  • AITC lesson plans target Utah core standards and objectives in K-12 classrooms. All lesson plans are available for free download in a searchable online database.

We Teach Core Subjects

Core Subjects

Cultivating Knowledge

Connecting Us All

We provide standards-based resources and training to support teachers in using the food and fiber system to contextualize curriculum.

We Do Outreach

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom has a reputation for providing high-quality, impactful teacher inservice training. We provide professional development workshops tailored to your needs: grade level, geographic region, and content areas.

Interested in setting up a workshop with our expert team?

Educators can request a free, on-site workshop for 10 or more teachers. Contact Denise Stewardson for more information. USOE credit is available.

The Mission of Utah Agriculture in the Classroom

To improve agricultural literacy by developing programs that increase student awareness about agriculture and instill in students an appreciation for our food and fiber system.

Why should I teach my students about Agriculture?

We all partake of agriculture every day. Whether it's the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the sheets we sleep on, the medicines we use, or the homes we live in, agriculture is our "connection to life." Simply, agriculture affects our quality of life! Healthy food and a healthy environment equals healthy people. A disaster or a miracle in our agricultural system affects us all!

Farmers (less than 2% of the population) provide an abundance of food and fiber (fabric) products. The American family spends less than 10 percent of its total income on food, the lowest in the world. Economically, American agriculture employs 21 million people or 18.5 percent of the labor force, this includes all the labor, farm-to-fork. United States agriculture provides a safe supply of food that frees the rest of us to concentrate on other activities such as medical research, space travel, computer technology, art, music, literature, philosophy, and recreation. Simply put, U.S. agriculture is number one - this is reason enough to educate students about agriculture.

What is Agriculture in the Classroom?

Agriculture in the Classroom is a nationwide program designed to help students develop an awareness and understanding of our food and fiber system, and how agriculture impacts our daily lives. Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) provides training and resources for teachers and pre-service teachers to contextualize their curriculum in the areas of science, social studies, nutrition, and career and technical education. Resources have been developed to meet State Standards. All of Utah AITC resources are classroom-ready and can be accessed online. Listen to what teachers say about AITC.

Program Accomplishments

  • Each year 160,000 students are taught with AITC lesson plans through state required curriculum.
  • Independent researchers found that students whose teachers had been trained with AITC resources were significantly more agriculturally literate; they knew how their food was produced.
  • More than 800 pre-service teachers are trained annually with AITC resources.
  • More than 300 in-service teachers are trained annually with AITC resources.
  • Each year 50-100 teachers complete the AITC Food, Land & People course, requiring that they have provided at least 15 hours of instruction to their students about agriculture. More than 500 teachers have completed the course over the last ten years.
  • Each year several resources are added or maintained to ensure high-quality teacher friendly classroom-ready resources.
  • Our e-Store annually ships more than 400 orders to classrooms statewide.
  • The AITC newsletters are distributed to 2,500 elementary (Bee-line) and 930 secondary (AgroWorld) teachers.

Who supports the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom?

The Utah Agriculture in the Classroom program is supported by Utah State University and the Utah Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, a nonprofit organization that receives financial support from interested individuals and organizations. Consider donating now! You will receive a receipt for your records.

Utah Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Board of Directors

Officers

  • Dave Francis, Vice President, Utah State University Extension 4-H Youth Programs
  • Sherri Pitts, Secretary, Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Resource Committee
  • Kelly Pehrson, Treasurer, Utah Dept. Of Agriculture & Food

Members